Titus County, Texas History - Mount Pleasant Fire Department Stations

Mount Pleasant's Fifth Fire Station - (Photo FD-0004)

On May 3, 1960, the City of Mt. Pleasant purchased two new 750 gallon per minute Mack pumpers. The purchase of the new engines presented a problem. The City Hall fire station annex was no longer large enough to house all of the equipment, and personnel space was crowded.

The Mt. Pleasant City Council unanimously agreed on August 16, 1960 to purchase land at 402 N. Washington from the First National Bank to build a new and larger fire station. Bonds were issued for $75,000 and construction on the new station began.

On March 2, 1961, Bill Gauntt made a motion, seconded by Hamp Blythe, that when the fire station was moved that the Volunteer Fire Department staff the new station with 6 man shifts who would stay at the new station for a period of 5 hours. The motion passed.

The new fire station was dedicated and held an open house in April, 1961. It had four heated drive-through truck bays, two facing North Washington and two facing what was then Industrial Road. The new station provided a firemen's dormitory and a meeting room for volunteers with central heat and air conditioning. There was a Chief's office and ample storage space for supplies and equipment. Two sheet metal Quonset huts located on the property just north of the new main building provided extra equipment storage. An aircraft radio beacon tower, which looks like a small oil derrick, was moved behind the station and used to hold the town's fire siren. As time progressed, firemen added military surplus power generators at the station to provide power should a storm or other disaster cause them to lose power from the grid.

The fire station at the corner of North Washington and East Fourth Street was used from 1961 - 2001.

Mount Pleasant's Seventh Fire Station -- Fire Station No. 2 - (Photo FD-0013)

In 2001, the City purchased the vacant National Guard Armory at 1902 North Jefferson and renovated it to serve as a fire station to decrease response times to businesses and residences in the growing north part of the city. Fire Station Number 2 is located immediately north of the Titus County Civic Center and across North Jefferson Street from Titus Regional Medical Center.

Mount Pleasant's Sixth Fire Station -- Mt. Pleasant, Texas Central Station - (Photo FD-0017)

By 2001, the Fire Department had outgrown the station at 402 North Washington, having added considerable equipment and several full-time firemen since the 1961 station was built. The city had grown considerably, with many new homes and businesses being built north of the downtown area and across Interstate 30, while at the same time the town had expanded further to the south along U.S. Highway 271. In addition to the enlarged area now within the City Limits, increased population created more traffic congestion.

To provide faster response times and bypass downtown traffic congestion, the City moved away from a single fire station and built a new and much larger Central Station at 728 East Ferguson Road (Highway 49) in 2001. Office and storage space was greatly enlarged from space that was available in the Washington Street station. It has a fully-equipped communications dispatch center. The new station has eight vehicle bays, and the size of each bay was enlarged to accommodate the larger engines and equipment now in use. It includes much larger living quarters to accommodate the larger staff of full-time Engineers. The new Central Station is equipped with a large emergency power generator powered by natural gas that automatically senses the loss of electric grid power and provides emergency power in its absence.

Moving the Central Station to its present location gives the Fire Department easier access to the east side of Mt. Pleasant, which was sometimes a problem when a train blocked all of the downtown crossings.

Mount Pleasant's Third Station - (Photo FD-0020)

Mount Pleasant's third fire station was also located on the northeast corner of West Third Street and Madison Avenue, facing West Third Street. The second fire station, which sat on the same lot, was torn down to construct the City Hall and Municipal Building. In 1918, the first Mt. Pleasant City Hall and Municipal Building was erected there and contained the City Hall, Police Department, and Fire Department. The Fire Department truck bays faced West Third Street. When the building was later remodeled to expand City Hall, the area that the Fire Department occupied was converted into new offices. When the City purchased a large electric siren to alert firemen of a fire in 1930, it was installed on top of the building.

Mount Pleasant's Fourth Fire Station - (Photo FD-0022)

As City government grew and required more office space, a two story brick addition was added to the back (north) side of the City Hall building to house the Fire Department. The fireman lived in the upstairs area and two truck bays under the living quarters faced North Madison Street. The original fire station and truck bays facing West Third were enclosed and converted into new office space for City officials and departments.

After the Fire Department moved to 402 N. Washington, the City Hall addition formerly used by the Fire Department was remodeled into additional space for the Police Department, who remained there until the present City Hall was constructed

Please contact us if you have information about or photographs of Mt. Pleasant's first Fire Station on the Court House Square

Mount Pleasant's First Fire Station

Interestingly, we find no record in the City Council minutes to indicate that a fire station existed, or any records of expenses to operate one until 1910. We found no mention of constructing or renting a station. However, the same was the case for a City warehouse and other buildings, which we find odd since amounts the City spent were recorded in great detail in City Council minutes. We know that they purchased fire hose, and a place to store and protect the fire department's hand-pulled hose cart and nozzles would have been required. Between 1903 and 1910, Council minutes don't mention the location, and no rental or construction funds were recorded.

Before 1906, no fire station is shown on Sanborn maps of Mt. Pleasant. We must assume that since Sanborn maps were drawn for fire insurance companies' use in determining fire insurance ratings, if a fire station existed that it would have been mapped. Therefore, we do not believe that Mt. Pleasant had any kind of fire station from its incorporation in 1900 to possibly 1903-1906.

According to the Sanborn maps, beginning in 1896, a small two-story building with an outside stairwell was located on the northeast corner of the court house square. The 1896 map shows this building existed then, and was apparently complete, while the Court House is noted as "under construction." The same building appears on maps through the 1933 map.

Some time between 1901 and 1906, which we suspect to be around 1903-1904 shortly after the Mt. Pleasant Fire Department was organized, the building became the fire station. The building is listed on the 1906 Sanborn map as the fire department. The 1906 Sanborn map indicates that the fire department had one hand drawn hose cart and 600' of 2-1/2" hose, and was a volunteer department with 8 members. It says that alarms were sounded by bell and telephone.

Please contact us if you have information about

or photographs of

Mt. Pleasant's second Fire Station

on the corner of East Third and Madison Streets

Mount Pleasant's Second Fire Station

The first time City Council minutes record payment of expenses referenced to a fire station is in the April 5, 1910 minutes, when the minutes record payment of the following expenses for building a "fire house:"

C. W. Vaughan, Fire House 215.00

C. B. Johnson, Painting Fire House 25.00

J. H. Goodwin, work on fire house 1.00

According to the Sanborn maps, by 1911 the fire station was moved to the northeast corner of what is now West Third Street and North Madison Avenue. In 1911, what is now West Third Street was named North Second Street, after having its name changed from North First Street some time between 1906 and 1911. Kaufman Street had been renamed to Madison Street, so that street's name was the same as today.

The 1911 Sanborn map shows that the Mt. Pleasant Fire Department had 2 horses, 1 hose wagon, and 600' of 2-1/2" hose. One paid driver was on duty all of the time.

August 6, 1912 City Council minutes record the payment of $2.50 to Ralph Soape, manager of the telephone company, for July telephone service at the fire station. Later, the January 6, 1914 City Council minutes recorded that "The Secretary was instructed to notify Jesse Reid that he would hereafter be permitted to allow no persons to loiter in and around the fire station."

We were told, but can't verify, that the fire station was a metal building. It was torn down to erect the first City Hall in 1918.